While campaigning for her husband in April 2016, Trump told rally attendees he would "punch back ten times harder" if provoked. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

A spokesperson for first lady Melania Trump defended disparaging remarks President Trump's made about MSNBC personality Mika Brzezinski Thursday morning.

".@StephGrisham45: 'As the First Lady has stated publicly in the past, when her husband gets attacked, he will punch back 10 times harder," CNN reporter Jeremy Diamond said about Stephanie Grisham, Melania Trump's spokeswoman.

.@StephGrisham45: "As the First Lady has stated publicly in the past, when her husband gets attacked, he will punch back 10 times harder."— Jeremy Diamond (@JDiamond1) June 29, 2017

While campaigning for her husband in April 2016, Trump told rally attendees he would "punch back ten times harder" if provoked.

"I heard poorly rated @Morning_Joe speaks badly of me (don't watch anymore). Then how come low I.Q. Crazy Mika, along with Psycho Joe, came to Mar-a-Lago 3 nights in a row around New Year's Eve, and insisted on joining me," Trump tweeted around 9 a.m. EST. "She was bleeding badly from a face-lift. I said no!"

Brzezinski responded on Twitter Thursday morning by making fun of the size of his hands. With only a photo and no words, Brzezinski shared a photo of a Cheerios box that featured a child reaching for a piece of cereal. The box included the phrase, "Made for small hands."